"Where… where am I?"
I was nearly blinded by bright light the moment I opened my eyes. The brightness was so unbearable I immediately closed my eyes as soon as I opened them. The light was so bright, it might as well burn into my retinas.
"Ah, she's awake…" A voice spoke, and the voice sounded distinctively feminine. "Truly, the construction is successful. For the time being, she will take his place." I had no idea what the speaker was talking about, but I knew that she was talking about me.
"Don't forget that I'm contributing too," another voice spoke. The voice also sounded feminine, but this time, the voice lacked the elegance the previous voice seemed to have. It also sounded a little childish, and I was tempted to mention that. Of course, I refrained myself from saying that, knowing that I might end up stepping on a landmine.
"Such an unfortunate fate that has befallen upon our esteemed guest," a new voice spoke. Unlike the previous two, this voice sounded like it belonged to a man. "Still, it is in our best interest to contribute in assisting our guest in order to reach his destiny, even if we have to resort to… this." The man's voice sounded a little sad, for some reason. "Now then, let us proceed…"
I could feel the intensity of the light lessening, and slowly, I opened my eyes. The moment I opened my eyes, I blinked in befuddlement as I found myself seated on a rather comfy seat. From the look of my surroundings, I noticed that I was in some kind of vehicle. A limousine, to be exact. There was a cabinet filled with bottles of liquors, and the smell of alcohol lingered in the air. The blue light in the area made my head throb a bit, but it was bearable than before, because it didn't make my eyes burn.
Then, I focused on the individuals before me. The first one that caught my attention was an old man with a peculiar appearance. Bloodshot eyes, long nose, imp-like expression, suspicious grin, mysterious aura… well, I could go on and on describing the man with a long nose before me, but let's focus on something else instead. Sitting adjacent to him were two women, and I made an assumption that the voices that I heard a while ago were theirs. Sitting on his right was an elegant-looking woman with platinum blonde hair, attired in a blue dress. On his left was a younger-looking woman clad in a sleeveless white shirt and a checkered skirt with a belt adorned with a fancy-looking buckle shaped like a winged heart. Sitting on top of her head was a blue officer hat. She was also wearing a pair of black-striped detached sleeves as well as a pair of striped thigh-high stockings and high-heeled boots.
The woman in blue smiled at me while the younger woman gave me a neutral look. Then, the long-nosed man chuckled mysteriously as he clasped his gloved hands together, focusing his bloodshot eyes on me.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room, my lady…" The long-nosed old man spoke in a rather smooth voice, and I noticed that he was clad in a rather posh-looking suit. The man might look a little creepy, but he sure had style. "Through the will of fate itself, you are summoned here in the Velvet Room, a place that exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. This is a room that only those who are bound by a "contract" may enter." The old gentleman chuckled again as he shifted his hands. "Through various circumstances, you were chosen as our guest. I must say that I did not foresee such a thing occurring, but let us put this matter aside for the time being." He swayed his hand, and a book appeared on the small table in front of him. I just noticed that the table was there the whole time. I had no idea how and why I missed it before. "Why don't you introduce yourself?"
I blinked, and the small table and the book were already in front of me. I didn't realize that they had moved to me. There was also a bottle of ink with a quill in it. I glanced at the three individuals in this place. The old gentleman was smiling mysteriously, the woman in blue smiled amusedly, and the younger woman did not smile, for some reason.
I looked back at the book before me. It was a contract of sorts, telling me that I will be held responsible for all my actions, and I choose the course of my actions of my own free will. Some kind of ordinary contract, if you ask me. I reached out for the quill at the bottle of ink and started writing my name on the contract.
Yuuna Narukami
After I was done writing my name, I put aside the quill, and the table and the contract returned to the old gentleman without me even realizing it. When I started wondering whether this was some kind of magic or not, the old gentleman with a long nose clasped his hands once again before he spoke, "Ah, how could I forget introducing myself? Do forgive me, then. My name is Igor, and this one is Margaret, my assistant. She is a resident here, just like myself." He gestured at the woman in blue.
"My name is Margaret…" The woman in blue introduced herself to me. "I am here to accompany you through your journey."
I looked at the other woman, who didn't seem to be terribly interested in me. She seemed busy writing something, from what I could tell.
"And this is Marie…" Margaret said, gesturing at the younger woman. "And do forgive her. She is still new to this, but like me, she will also be assisting you in your journey." The younger woman, Marie, didn't say anything. Instead, she just let out a huff and continued writing whatever she was currently writing.
"Well then, now that you were chosen as our guest, you may as well be concerned about the circumstances regarding you being chosen," Igor said. "Still, the circumstances cannot to be revealed to you, at least not yet. Due to some… unfortunate situation that has befallen upon our current guest, or rather, our previous guest, you were called forth as his "replacement" of sorts…"
"Replacement? I… I am a replacement?"
"Yes…" Igor's tone sounded forlorn when he answered my question. "This is such a cruel thing that fate has done, but in order to make sure that our guest's destiny is not lost forever in the fog, it has to be done. Are there any more questions?"
"N-no… I…*sniff* I have no questions."
Marie stopped writing and looked at me. She tilted her head. "Why are you crying?" She asked.
"I'm a replacement. Th-that means… I'm not real."
"The question of whether you are real or not is something that you shouldn't be concerned with for the time being," Margaret said. "Still, that doesn't change the fact that you are a replacement. Your role is to ensure that our guest's destiny and future are safely protected from the malice of the fog. Even so, whatever you do, you are still held responsible for all of it." Margaret smiled warmly, which made the revelation less painful. "Thus, whether you are real or not is not to be questioned."
"Still, is it alright if I request something?"
"A request? Rare, but not surprising…" Igor said. "What is it that you wish for?"
"I wish that… my knowledge of me being a mere replacement is to be taken away from me. This is my journey, and I'd like to remember it as truly mine instead of being a mere placeholder for some lost hero who wanders aimlessly in fog. Is that wish… acceptable?"
Both Margaret and Marie looked at each other before Marie nodded.
"Your wish… shall be granted," Marie said solemnly as she rose from her seat and walked over to my direction. "Stay still. It'll only take a while. I'm going to take your memories a bit…"
"Will it… hurt?"
"It won't. You won't even feel a thing…" Marie said, her gray eyes filled with sympathy. She leaned towards me and lightly kissed me on my forehead.
"Thank you…"
I could feel tears rolling down my cheeks as my memories were shaved away. I closed my eyes as I readied myself to sink into emptiness.
Silver by Another Name
Persona 4 AU Fanfiction
Chapter 01: Yuuna Narukami
Yuuna Narukami felt a little uncomfortable while she was sitting on her seat in the train that was on its way to Yasoinaba. Her neck hurt a bit, probably due to a bad sleeping position. She grimaced when she tried to move her head, and a person who was sitting beside her, who was a thirty-something woman, gave her a concerned look.
"Oh my. Did you hurt yourself while you were sleeping, dear?" The woman asked.
Massaging the back of her neck, Yuuna looked at her fellow passenger. "I-I guess so…" She smiled bashfully, feeling a little embarrassed that she somehow caused another person to worry about her. "Don't worry, though. It doesn't hurt a lot, I think…"
"Now, now, don't give me that, dear…" The woman shook her head disapprovingly. "You have to take good care of your body. You're still young and healthy, unlike the plain old me, hohoho…" Then, the woman looked at Yuuna. "And you're quite pretty too, which reminds me of my younger self," she started reminiscing about her past.
To have someone call her pretty, of course Yuuna would feel a little pleased. Still, she didn't really consider herself too pretty, at least not as pretty as those models that she usually saw in the fashion magazines. She let out a sigh while listening to the rambling of the woman who was sitting beside her about her wasted youth as she glanced at the window, looking at her own reflection.
One thing that she could describe about herself was that she was baby-faced. Of course, not literally baby-faced, because that would be ridiculous. Some of her friends at her old school told her that she was adorable, and added with her smooth skin, she often became a victim to some of the female students who thought that she was so huggable. To make herself less adorable and more mature and elegant, she fashioned her hair in a bob haircut and often spoke in contralto so that people could take her seriously.
Let's just say that the hugging lessened, but they still happened every once in a while.
Another thing that made her unique was her silver hair color. Contrary to common belief, it was her natural hair color, which she somehow inherited from her father. It made her less adorable and more mysterious.
One thing that Yuuna could hope once she became a student at Inaba was that there wouldn't be things like female students thinking that she was too huggable they'd try to kidnap her and bring her home every now and then. She would be enrolled at Yasogami High School for a year. Due to her parents being busy with their businesses, she would be living with her relatives at Inaba.
From what her mother had told her, she would be living with her uncle, Ryoutaro Dojima, a police detective who was currently living with his daughter, Nanako Dojima. She had seen their photos, and she had make an assumption that her uncle was a rough, no-nonsense middle-aged man. Well, it was too early to make a judgment, because she would be meeting with them soon.
"Yasoinaba Station. Yasoinaba Station…"
Now that Yuuna had arrived, she stepped out of the train. There were not many people at the station, which was kind of expected, considering that this was a rural area. She dusted her gray jacket and adjusted her collar. She also made sure that her stocking looked right, because she needed to give a good impression to her uncle and cousin.
Carrying her bag, she walked out of the station, looking around for the people whom she should meet. "Hey, over here!" Then, she heard a voice before she saw the man she believed to be her uncle, because that's how he looked in the photo. There was a little girl standing beside him.
The middle-aged man was carrying a jacket over his shoulder, and there was a cigarette box inside the pocket of his shirt. When Yuuna saw them, the man smiled and beckoned her to come over.
Yuuna walked over to them and stood before them. Judging from the man's looks, it didn't look like he shaved often. He's probably too busy with his duties as a police detective to take care of his own appearance, she thought. As for the girl who was beside him, Yuuna suddenly felt that she was slowly overwhelmed by the sudden urge to pet her, due to how adorable the little girl was. And let's not mention those pigtails. Oh god, those pigtails. And she looked shy too as she hid herself behind her father. Yuuna tried to suppress her urge to grab her and bring her home, with small success. Pigtailed and shy, that sure was a dangerous combo ever.
The middle-aged man studied Yuuna for a while before he spoke, "Well, you sure look like your mother when she was younger," after a while, he added, "you took your hair color after your father, though." He held out his hand, offering Yuuna a handshake. "Welcome to Inaba. I'm Ryoutaro Dojima. I'll be looking after you."
"Thank you. I'm Yuuna Narukami. Pleased to meet you, Uncle," Yuuna said politely as she bowed slightly. "It's been a long time…" She didn't really remember about it, but her mother had told her that she had met him when she was still a baby.
"I'll say." Dojima smiled at his niece. "You've really grown. I still remember when you were in diapers. Now look at you, you're just as pretty as your mother."
"R-really?" Yuuna felt a little embarrassed when Dojima said that. Of course she was pleased to have someone calling her pretty, but when someone said that he had seen her in diapers before, of course she would be embarrassed by that.
Then, Dojima looked at the little girl behind him before he gently pushed her forward. "This here's my daughter," he said. "Come on, Nanako, introduce yourself to your cousin."
Fidgeting, Nanako was silent for a few seconds before she spoke, "…'lo." Then she immediately retreated back to hide behind Dojima, causing him to chuckle in amusement. She was blushing in embarrassment.
"What're you so shy for?" Dojima asked teasingly.
In response, Nanako pouted and slapped on Dojima's back lightly. Seeing that, Yuuna silently reigned her urge to reach to Nanako's head to pat her. That sight was so adorable which made her thought that it should be weaponized as a military-grade weapon.
"Nanako-chan, right?" After making sure that she wouldn't do anything untoward towards the little girl, Yuuna approached her and lowered herself to the little girl's level. She smiled at her as she spoke, "It's nice to meet you." She held out her hand, offering Nanako a handshake.
Hesitantly, Nanako reached out to the offered hand, shaking Yuuna's hand. Then, Yuuna got up and looked at her uncle.
"Well then, let's get going…" Dojima said before he went to where he parked his car, which wasn't too far from there. Nanako followed her father, and Yuuna followed both of them. They entered the car before Dojima drove away.
"We'll stop at the gas station for a while," Dojima said while driving. He turned the wheel, moving the car to the Moel Gas Station, which was located at the shopping district of Inaba. As the car arrived, a gas station attendant came running towards the car. A green truck left the station after the attendant left it. The attendant greeted Dojima.
"Hi, welcome to Moel!"
Dojima looked at his daughter. "Can you go to the bathroom by yourself?" He asked.
"Uh-huh." Nanako nodded before she stepped out of the car. Dojima also came out of the car as the attendant waited for him dutifully. As Nanako came out, she looked around, her expression indicated that she was confused. Yuuna thought that she looked cute while confused. She didn't seem to know where to find the bathroom.
"It's in the back, to your left. You know which way's left? The side you don't hold chopsticks in," the attendant told Nanako in a joking manner. Hearing that, Nanako pouted as her cheeks reddened a bit.
"I know," Nanako protested. "Geez…" She ran to the place where the attendant had pointed at. Yuuna also came out of the car and saw Dojima talking with the attendant. The police detective was telling the attendant that he was taking Yuuna from the train station.
"Fill up my car while you're at it. Regular's fine," Dojima said.
"Right away, sir!" The attendant cheerfully nodded. Dojima left to have a smoke for a bit, leaving Yuuna with the attendant. Then the attendant spoke to Yuuna, "Are you in high school?" The attendant's tone sounded curious.
Yuuna blinked a few times. "A-are you… hitting on me?"
This time, it was the attendant's turn to blink. Then, the attendant chuckled. "Well, I do admit that you are quite eye-catching, but don't worry, I'm on duty today." The attendant's lips curled up into a friendly smile. "So, are you in high school?"
"Yeah, I'm a second-year," Yuuna answered.
"Ah, I see, I see…" The attendant mused. "Well, for a city girl, you certainly don't look like one," the attendant said in an amused tone. "So, does it surprise a city girl to see how little there is out here?"
"Hmm… not exactly." Yuuna shook her head.
"Well, there's so little to do, I'm sure you'll get bored fast. You'll either be hanging out with your friends or doing part-time jobs," the attendant said. "Speaking of which, we're actually looking for part-time help right now." The attendant walked over towards Yuuna, offering a handshake. "Give it some thought, why don't you? We don't mind if you're student."
Yuuna looked at the offered hand before she glanced at the attendant's face. That smile on the attendant's face looked honest.
"I'll think about it," Yuuna said, shaking the attendant's hand.
"Oh, I should get back to work," the attendant said after letting Yuuna's hand go. When the attendant left to fill the gas for Dojima's car, suddenly Yuuna felt dizzy. She almost lost her balance and ended up using Dojima's car to support herself. She grimaced, feeling a little nauseous. She didn't know what happened to her, but she thought that something was wrong with her head. She shook her head, trying to shake the strange feeling off her head.
Nanako, who had just returned from the bathroom, looked at her cousin's face, blinking a few times before she spoke, "Are you okay? Did you get carsick?" From her tone, it sounded like she was concerned about her. "You don't look too good," she added.
Feeling that her dizziness had subsided, Yuuna smiled at Nanako. "I'm alright. Sorry to make you worry, Nanako-chan."
Then, Dojima returned to the car, seemingly having finished smoking. He noticed that his niece seemed to be a little unwell. "What's wrong, Yuuna? You okay?" He asked.
"I just felt lightheaded," Yuuna answered as she rubbed the back of her head. That's probably it, because it was quite a long journey from the city to Yasoinaba.
"That's understandable. It must have been a long trip for you," Dojima said. "Why not take a little walk, get some fresh air?" He suggested. "Just let me know when you're ready to go."
"Alright, thanks, Uncle…" Yuuna said. So, Yuuna decided to take a walk around the shopping district. She could see some people doing their own businesses. From what she could tell, the shopping district was a place where the people of the town went to shop at. Strangely enough, though, the shopkeepers seemed to be complaining about the declining sales.
For Yuuna, it sure was a nice change of pace compared to her life back at the city. She liked it this way.
As she walked, she saw a girl walking down the street. Her appearance seemed to catch her attention due to how strange her attire was. She was clad in a sleeveless white shirt and checkered skirt, with detached sleeves and striped stockings, as well as a pair of high boots. And for some reason, the girl seemed familiar to Yuuna, but she couldn't exactly put her finger on it. It's like the harder she tried to remember, the harder it was for her to remember. And when she tried to look at the girl again, she had disappeared.
"Huh, that's strange…" Yuuna muttered to herself. Not too far from her, there were two students, probably siblings, bickering with each other about eating one's snack at a fridge. Yuuna decided to let them be as she returned to the gas station.
It was already raining the moment they arrived at the Dojima residence. She would be living there for a year before being transferred again. Well, a year would be the longest time for her to stay in one place compared to the previous ones, where she only stayed for four to five months at most.
While having dinner, Dojima was called for duty, leaving Nanako and Yuuna alone in the house. So, they watched the television to see the latest news about the scandal of a certain TV announcer, Mayumi Yamano, with a city council secretary, Taro Namatame. It was just some news about glamorous people, and Yuuna didn't care about it too much anyways.
As for Nanako, despite her initially shy appearance, she was overall a sweet child and could be cheerful at times. She was seen singing the theme of commercial song of Junes. Once again, Yuuna had to refrain her urge to pet her on her head due to how adorable Nanako was. This time, she had failed as she succumbed to the urge, petting the little girl's head. Nanako gave Yuuna a befuddled look when the latter was petting her head.
After taking about a lot of things, both Yuuna and Nanako decided to call it a night. Yuuna went upstairs where her things were already put but had yet to be unpacked. It was a simple bedroom with a couch, a study desk, a futon and a television. Intending to unpack the things later, she decided to sleep.
It was quite a long trip from the city to Yasoinaba. So, she needed some good rest.
"Where am I?"
The moment I opened my eyes and came back to my senses, I found myself in a foggy maze. It was too foggy, and I could barely see anything around me. Due to some reason that confused me, there was a rusty, old katana sheathed on my hip. I pulled it out and looked at the blade. The blade was dull and chipped, but at least I was well-protected, even though I might be probably dreaming.
Having no choice but to move forward, I walked ahead despite the fog obscuring my view. I tightened my grip on the katana in my hand.
"Where am I?"
I repeated the question to myself again. I had no idea what was going on with me. Was this a dream? That, too, I had no idea. I continued moving forward, despite having no destination in my mind. How could I even find a destination, with the fog in my way?
As I walked, I tripped, and I let out a cry of pain. It hurt. I lost my grip on my rusty katana, and with the fog surrounding me, it would be hard for me to find the katana. As I frantically searched for my dropped weapon, I accidentally cut my finger with the blade, causing me to yelp in pain.
"I-it hurts…"
I whimpered. I could feel blood coming out of my finger. Still, I managed to find the katana, and I picked it up. I put my bleeding finger into my mouth in order to stop the bleeding, and I could feel the taste of blood as I did that.
I continued walking down the foggy maze. I just walked without directions, and I didn't even know where my feet might lead me to. I could only hope that nothing would jump out of the fog, attacking me. Well, at least I still had my sword with me, even though it was rusty and almost useless in a fight.
As I walked, suddenly my instincts screamed at me, telling me to duck. I immediately ducked, and I heard the sound of a blade cutting through empty air just passing over my head. Even though it was foggy, I could see a sharp blade cutting through the air above my head. If I didn't duck, I might have ended up losing my head.
I mustered my strength into my legs and jumped away. I rolled away before I steadied myself, and I saw a silhouette of a man, holding a katana. Unlike mine, the katana looked sharp and deadly. The silhouette swung the blade into the air several times before it assumed a fighting stance.
I gulped before I mirrored the silhouette's movement. I had a feeling that it was useless to run away, and I still had my weapon with me.
Without making any sound, the silhouette charged towards me, viciously attacking me with its sword. I, on the other hand, defended myself with my sword that might break anytime. The silhouette was so fast I could barely follow its movements, and thanks to the fog, it made it harder for me to keep track on it.
After a dozen hits, the silhouette managed to break my katana and hit my face with the hilt of its sword. I let out a cry of pain, and it took its chance to sink its sword into my stomach.
It hurts.
It hurts I want to die.
It hurts I want to die so badly.
Just kill me.
Just kill me and pull out the sword.
Just kill me and pull out the sword and decapitate me.
It hurts.
Roughly, the silhouette pulled out the sword from my stomach, and I fell down to the floor, bleeding. I let go the hilt of my broken sword as the silhouette loomed over my broken body.
I fell to my side, and I was able to see the face of the one who stabbed me. It was a boy with silver hair.
Silver hair just like mine.
And he was crying.
He knelt and hugged me, even though he was the one who stabbed me.
I could feel my life ending.
Still, the boy hugged me as he cried, even though he was the one who killed me.
And so, the fog thickened, and both of us were swallowed whole in the fog.
"AAAH!" Yuuna screamed as she jolted up from her futon. Clad in her pajamas, she found out that she was in her room, the one that was given to her by her uncle, Dojima. Panting heavily, she immediately unbuttoned her shirt and checked her stomach to see whether there was a wound or not.
There was no wound. Not even a speck of blood on it. Smooth as a baby's skin.
"W-was that… Was that a dream?" Yuuna muttered to herself. She figured out that she was drenched in sweat. "O-or… was that a nightmare?" She pressed her hand on her stomach. Even though it was a dream, it felt real. She still could remember the sensation of a blade passing through her stomach, stabbing through her muscle tissues and flesh. She still could remember the sensation of her life bleeding out of her.
Such recollections caused her to shudder, she almost didn't realize that someone was knocking on the door of her room.
"What's wrong?" Yuuna could hear Nanako's voice from outside her room. She immediately buttoned her shirt back. "I heard you scream. Did something happen?"
At first, Yuuna wanted to tell her cousin that nothing was wrong, but then she got up from her futon and went to the door. She opened the door and saw her cousin, clad in animal pajamas. Panda pajamas, to be exact. She was also hugging an animal plushie, which was also a panda. Such a sight caused Yuuna to momentarily forget that she had a nightmare earlier.
"W-well… I had a nightmare," Yuuna admitted.
"Are you okay? You don't look too good," Nanako said as she looked at Yuuna's face.
"Haha, well… I guess that nightmare kinda made it hard for me to sleep," Yuuna sheepishly said as she scratched her cheek.
Nanako tilted her head. "Do you want to sleep with me?" She offered.
Yuuna blinked a few times as she looked at her cousin's innocent face. Then, she nodded and smiled.
"Sure, that sounds nice."
So, Yuuna went to Nanako's room and slept together with her. No more nightmares came to her that night as she slept by Nanako's side.
TO BE CONTINUED
Author's Note: Hello, this is Prince Arjuna, and welcome to my non-crossover fanfiction, Silver by Another Name. So, this is an AU fanfic, which features a genderflip protagonist, or rather, a female protagonist. And one thing that I have realized about non-crossover fanfics are that they aren't as famous as crossover fanfics, which means this fanfic may have trouble to be well-known among the readers. So, I am begging you, the readers, to read this fanfic, and leave some comments regarding this fanfic, if you are kind enough.
So, this story is about the characters questioning their existence, and some other mind screw stuff that I may add later. And Yuuna Narukami may or may not exist in the story. Also, this will be elaborated in later chapters. I hope this is good enough hook for you readers to be interested in the story.
Also, special thanks to Sorata Shioya for beta-reading this chapter. It's nice to work with you, like always. So, please stay tuned and look forward for the next chapter, Chapter 02: School Days. See you all soon!
Prince Arjuna (2015)
